JP7340376B2 - Optical connectors and transmission equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to an optical connector and a transmission device.

When transmitting laser light from a laser light source to a laser processing device using a transmission device having an optical fiber, the laser light source and one end of the optical fiber are connected by an optical connector, and the other end of the optical fiber and the laser processing device are connected by an optical connector. Connect by. Examples of such transmission devices include those described in the following patent documents.

JP2009-058547A

Optical fibers generally have a glass cladding provided on the outside of a glass core, and a wire consisting of the core and cladding is covered with a resin coating. Such optical fibers are required to be efficiently cooled in order to prevent them from being heated due to the influence of external temperature or the like or due to the heat generated by the optical fiber itself.

The present disclosure aims to provide an optical connector and a transmission device that can efficiently cool an optical fiber.

An optical connector according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing that accommodates an optical fiber, a fixing member that surrounds and fixes the optical fiber in the housing, and a fixing member that is attached to the fixing member in the housing. a circulation section provided on both sides in the axial direction of the optical fiber; and a supply/discharge section that supplies a cooling medium to one of the two circulation sections or discharges the cooling medium from the other circulation section. and a first communication part arranged in a part of the fixing member facing the optical fiber and communicating the two circulation parts, and a first communication part provided in a part of the fixing member different from the part facing the optical fiber. and a second communication section that communicates the two circulation sections.

A transmission device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure includes an optical fiber, an optical connector that supports a proximal end portion and a distal end portion of the optical fiber, and has a circulation portion therein, and a transmission device that supports two of the optical fibers. a pipe that surrounds a portion exposed from the optical connector and connects the circulation parts of the two optical connectors; and a pipe that connects the circulation parts of the two optical connectors to each other separately from the pipe, and connects the two optical connectors. a circulation device for circulating the cooling medium through a flow path including the circulation section and the piping, and the optical connector supports at least the tip end of the optical fiber among the two optical connectors. , the above optical connector is used.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an optical connector and a transmission device that can efficiently cool an optical fiber.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transmission device of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the optical connector of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III--III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an optical connector and a transmission device according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and if there are multiple embodiments, the present invention may be configured by combining each embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a transmission device of this embodiment. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a transmission device 100 includes an optical fiber 11, a pipe 12, two optical connectors 10 (an input side optical connector 13, an output side optical connector 14), and a circulation device 15. It is equipped with

The optical fiber 11 includes a strand 11a (see FIG. 3, etc.) in which a glass cladding is provided on the outside of a glass core, and a resin coating part 11b (see FIG. 3, etc.) that covers the strand 11a. It consists of

Optical connector 10 is connected to both ends of optical fiber 11. Hereinafter, the optical connector 10 connected to the base end 11r side of the optical fiber 11 will be referred to as an input side optical connector 13, and the optical connector 10 connected to the tip end portion 11t side of the optical fiber 11 will be referred to as an output side optical connector 14. Note that the base end portion 11r of the optical fiber 11 is a portion through which light enters the optical fiber 11. Further, the tip end portion 11t of the optical fiber 11 is a portion from which light is emitted from the optical fiber 11.

A light source (for example, a laser oscillator), not shown, is connected to the base end 13r of the incident side optical connector 13. The base end 11r of the optical fiber 11 is inserted into the entrance side optical connector 13 from the distal end 13t. The input side optical connector 13 supports the base end 11r of the optical fiber 11 at the distal end 13t. The incident-side optical connector 13 has a flow section 23 described later inside.

The distal end portion 11t of the optical fiber 11 is inserted into the output side optical connector 14 from the base end portion 14r. The output side optical connector 14 supports the distal end portion 11t of the optical fiber 11 at the base end portion 14r. The output-side optical connector 14 has a distal end portion 14t connected to a processing device (for example, a laser cutting device), not shown. The output side optical connector 14 has a flow section 23 described later inside thereof.

The piping 12 is provided so as to surround the portions of the optical fibers 11 exposed from the two optical connectors 10 . The piping 12 has a base end 12r connected to the input side optical connector 13, and a tip end 12t connected to the output side optical connector 14. A flow section 44 is formed inside the pipe 12 . The optical fiber 11 is arranged in the coolant flow section 44 . The piping 12 allows a cooling medium to flow between the input side optical connector 13 and the output side optical connector 14. In this embodiment, for example, cooling water is used as the cooling medium, but the cooling medium is not limited thereto, and other mediums may be used.

The circulation device 15 connects the circulation parts 23 of the input side optical connector 13 and the output side optical connector 14 separately from the piping 12, and connects the circulation parts 23 of the input side optical connector 13 and the output side optical connector 14 to the piping 12. A cooling medium is circulated through a flow path including a cooling medium. The circulation device 15 is connected to the supply route L1 and the discharge route L2. The circulation device 15 supplies the cooling medium discharged from the discharge route L2 to the supply route L1. The supply path L1 is connected to the first supply/discharge section 24 of the output side optical connector 14. The discharge path L2 is connected to the first supply/discharge section 24 of the output side optical connector 14.

The input side optical connector 13 and the output side optical connector 14 have the same configuration. In the following description, the corresponding structures of the input-side optical connector 13 and the output-side optical connector 14 will be described using the same reference numerals. Note that when the optical connector 10 is used as the input-side optical connector 13 and when the optical connector 10 is used as the output-side optical connector 14, the connection parts of the optical fiber 11, piping 12, and connection piping 16 are reversed. . Hereinafter, the optical connector 10 will be explained using the output side optical connector 14 as an example.

2 is a sectional view showing the optical connector of this embodiment, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III--III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV--IV in FIG. Further, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the output side optical connector 14 includes a housing 21, a fixing member 22, a circulation section 23, a first supply/discharge section 24, a second supply/discharge section 25, and a bypass channel. 26.

Housing 21 accommodates optical fiber 11. The housing 21 has an elongated cylindrical shape, and includes a main body portion 31 located at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction, a first connecting portion 32 located on the distal end portion 14t side in the longitudinal direction, and a proximal end portion 14r side in the longitudinal direction. and a second connecting portion 33 located at. The main body portion 31 has a maximum inner diameter. The first connecting portion 32 has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the main body portion 31 and has a tapered shape. The second connecting portion 33 has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the first connecting portion 32, has a tapered shape, and has a connecting hole 33a as an external connecting portion. Note that the housing 21 may be constructed by dividing the main body portion 31, the first connecting portion 32, and the second connecting portion 33 into three parts, or may be divided into four or more members.

A fixing member 22 for fixing the optical fiber 11 is disposed inside the housing 21 . The fixing member 22 includes a first sleeve 34 supported on the inner surface of the housing 21, a second sleeve 35 supported on the inner surface of the first sleeve 34, and a third sleeve 36 supported on the inner surface of the second sleeve 35. It consists of A cylindrical gap 37 is formed between the housing 21 and the first sleeve 34.

The first sleeve 34 has a cylindrical shape and has a large diameter part 34a and a small diameter part 34b. is fitted into and fixed to the inner surface of the first connecting portion 32 of the housing 21.

The second sleeve 35 has a cylindrical shape surrounding the optical fiber 11 and has a large diameter portion 35a and a small diameter portion 35b, and the outer surface of the large diameter portion 35a fits into the inner surface of the large diameter portion 34a of the first sleeve 34. and fixed.

The third sleeve 36 has a rod shape extending in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11, and is fitted and fixed to the inner surface of the large diameter portion 35a of the second sleeve 35.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of third sleeves 36, for example four, are arranged in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber 11 in a VV cross-sectional view. Note that the number of third sleeves 36 may be three or less, or may be five or more. The plurality of third sleeves 36 are arranged, for example, at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. The third sleeve 36 has a radially inner surface 36a in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber 11 in a cross-sectional view. The optical fiber 11 is fixed by holding the outer circumferential surface of the covering portion 11b in the circumferential direction by the plurality of third sleeves 36.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the third sleeves 36 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber 11 in the VV cross-sectional view. Therefore, a first communicating portion 43 is formed between the inner circumferential surface 35c of the second sleeve 35 and the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber 11 at a location where the third sleeve 36 is not provided. In the present embodiment, the first communicating portions 43 are provided at a plurality of locations, for example, at four locations, for example, in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber 11 in a VV cross-sectional view. The first communication portion 43 has a slit shape, for example, and communicates between a first communication portion 41 on the distal end side of the optical fiber 11 of the housing 21 and a second communication portion 42 on the base end side of the housing 21 . In other words, the cooling medium is configured to flow from the first circulation section 41 on the distal end side of the optical fiber 11 to the second circulation section 42 on the proximal end side via the first communication section 43 . The first communicating portion 43 is arranged at a position of the fixing member 22 facing the optical fiber 11 . With this configuration, the cooling medium flowing through the first communicating portion 43 comes into contact with the optical fiber 11, so that the optical fiber 11 can be directly cooled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a slit-shaped second communicating portion 45 is provided on the outer circumferential surface 35d of the second sleeve 35. Note that the outer circumferential surface 35d is provided in a portion of the fixing member 22 that is different from the portion facing the optical fiber 11. The second communication section 45 extends along the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 and communicates the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42 . Therefore, the fixing member 22 is provided with a first communication section 43 and a second communication section 45 as communication sections that communicate the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42 . For this reason, the cross-sectional area of the communication portion becomes larger compared to a configuration in which the first communication portion 43 is provided alone. The first communicating portion 43 and the second communicating portion 45 are portions through which the cooling medium flows. Therefore, by providing the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45, clogging of the cooling medium at the fixed portion of the optical fiber 11 can be suppressed, and smooth circulation of the cooling medium can be achieved.

A plurality of second communicating portions 45 are provided in the circumferential direction of the second sleeve 35, for example, at four locations on the top, bottom, left and right in FIG. 5 at equal pitches. Note that the second communication portions 45 may be provided at three or less locations or at five or more locations in the circumferential direction of the second sleeve 35 . In this embodiment, the second communicating portion 45 is provided at a position corresponding to the third sleeve 36. In this case, the second communicating portion 45 is provided so that the outer peripheral surface 36b of the third sleeve 36 is exposed. With this configuration, the second communicating portion 45 faces the outer circumferential surface 36b of the third sleeve 36. Note that the second communicating portion 45 may be provided in a state where the outer circumferential surface 36b of the third sleeve 36 is not exposed.

Returning to FIG. 2, in the housing 21, a fourth sleeve 38 is fixed to the inner surface of the first connecting portion 32. The fourth sleeve 38 has a cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical probe 39 is fixed to the inner surface. One end of the probe 39 is in contact with the end of the small diameter portion 34b of the first sleeve 34. Further, the probe 39 is provided with a conical joint portion 39a protruding toward the second sleeve 35 at one end, and a gap is secured between the probe 39 and the small diameter portion 35b of the second sleeve 35. Furthermore, the housing 21 is connected to the inner surface of the connecting hole 33a of the second connecting portion 33 by fitting the tip end of the connecting pipe 16 thereto.

The optical fiber 11 has its tip end 11t inserted into the housing 21 from the connection pipe 16. The optical fiber 11 is composed of a wire 11a and a coated portion 11b, with the coated portion 11b extending to an intermediate position of the small diameter portion 35b of the second sleeve 35, and the wire 11a extending to the probe 39. The coating portion 11b of the optical fiber 11 is inserted into the third sleeve 36 and fixedly supported, and the tip portion of the strand 11a contacts the joint portion 39a of the probe 39 and is fusion-bonded. Furthermore, as described above, the first circulation section 41 and the second circulation section 42 are communicated with each other via the second communication section 45 of the second sleeve 35 . Therefore, the cooling medium flows from the first circulation section 41 on the distal end side of the optical fiber 11 to the second circulation section 42 on the proximal end side via the second communication section 45, and the second sleeve 35 is caused by the cooling medium. It is supposed to be cooled.

The circulation portion 23 is provided outside the optical fiber 11 supported by the fixing member 22 within the housing 21 . The circulation section 23 includes a first circulation section 41 provided on the distal end side in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 with respect to the fixing member 22, and a first circulation section 41 provided on the proximal end side in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 with respect to the fixation member 22. It has two flow parts 42.

The first circulation portion 41 is a space defined by the first sleeve 34 , the large diameter portion 35 a of the second sleeve 35 , the third sleeve 36 , and the probe 39 . The second circulation portion 42 is a space defined by the main body portion 31 of the housing 21, the second connecting portion 33, the first sleeve 34, the second sleeve 35, and the third sleeve 36. Note that a third sleeve 36 that fixedly supports the optical fiber 11 is provided between the first circulation section 41 and the second circulation section 42 . As described above, the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42 are communicated with each other via the first communication section 43 of the third sleeve 36 . Therefore, the cooling medium flows from the first circulation section 41 on the distal end side of the optical fiber 11 to the second circulation section 42 on the proximal end side via the first communication section 43, and the optical fiber 11 is fixed by the cooling medium. The support is adapted to be cooled. Further, as described above, the third sleeve 36 has a configuration in which the outer circumferential surface 36b is exposed to the second communicating portion 45. Therefore, the third sleeve 36 is cooled by the cooling medium flowing through the second communication portion 45.

The second circulation section 42 has an enlarged diameter section 42a. The enlarged diameter portion 42a is provided on the side connected to the first communication portion 43 and the second communication portion 45. With this configuration, in the second flow section 42, the flow path resistance of the cooling medium is reduced in the enlarged diameter section 42a. Therefore, the cooling medium can be smoothly circulated between the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45 and the second circulation section 42 .

A coolant flow section 44 is provided between the pipe 12 and the optical fiber 11. The second flow section 42 communicates with a coolant flow section 44 of the piping 12 connected to the housing 21 .

The first supply and discharge section 24 and the second supply and discharge section 25 supply and discharge the cooling medium to and from the circulation section 23 of the housing 21 . The first supply/discharge section 24 has a side connecting section 31 a that is disposed on a side of the main body section 31 of the housing 21 in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 . The second supply/discharge section 25 is disposed on the second connecting section 33 side of the housing 21 and is connected to the piping 12 .

In the output side optical connector 14 , the first supply/discharge section 24 functions as a supply/discharge section that supplies the cooling medium to the first circulation section 41 . Further, the second supply/discharge section 25 functions as a supply/discharge section that discharges the cooling medium from the second circulation section 42 . Note that in the incident-side optical connector 13 , the first supply/discharge section 24 functions as a supply/discharge section that discharges the cooling medium from the first circulation section 41 . Further, the second supply/discharge section 25 functions as a supply/discharge section that supplies the cooling medium to the second circulation section 42 .

The bypass flow path 26 is provided separately from the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45, and connects the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42 via the outside of the housing 21. do. The bypass channel 26 is provided so as to bypass the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45 . By providing the bypass passage 26, the coolant can flow through the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45 while suppressing the pressure of the coolant on the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42. I can do it. The bypass flow path 26 has a first connection portion 26 a connected to the first circulation portion 41 and a second connection portion 26 b connected to the second circulation portion 42 . The first connection portion 26a is arranged at a position corresponding to the end of the first communication portion 43. Further, the first connecting portion 26a is arranged at a position corresponding to the first supply/discharge section 24 in the axial direction of the optical fiber 11. Therefore, by forming protruding portions at corresponding positions on the outer shape of the output-side optical connector 14, balance in the outer shape is ensured. Further, the second connecting portion 26b is arranged at a position closer to the second connecting portion 33 than the enlarged diameter portion 42a in the second circulation portion 42. In addition, in this embodiment, the bypass flow path 26 does not need to be provided.

In this embodiment, the circulation device 15 connects the first supply/discharge section 24 of the output side optical connector 14 and the first supply/discharge section 24 of the input side optical connector 13 . Further, the pipe 12 connects the second supply/discharge section 25 of the output side optical connector 14 and the second supply/discharge section 25 of the input side optical connector 13 . For this reason, one system of flow paths consisting of the input side optical connector 13, the circulation device 15, the output side optical connector 14, and the piping 12 is formed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably cool the entire optical fiber 11.

In addition to adjusting the temperature of the cooling medium, the circulation device 15 also adjusts the flow rate and pressure. Regarding the temperature, for example, the temperature of the fixing member 22 and the temperature of the cooling medium flowing through the pipe 12 can be measured, and the temperature of the cooling medium can be adjusted so that the measurement results do not exceed a predetermined threshold. Regarding the flow rate and pressure, for example, the difference between the flow rate of the cooling medium flowing into the circulation device 15 and the flow path flowing through the bypass flow path 26 is calculated, and the calculation result is calculated between the first communication portion 43 and the second communication portion 45. is estimated to be the flow rate of the cooling medium. The circulation device 15 adjusts the flow rate and pressure of the cooling medium based on this calculation result.

Further, the output side optical connector 14 includes a guide member 51 that causes the cooling medium supplied from the first supply/discharge section 24 to the first circulation section 41 to flow along the axial direction of the optical fiber 11 . The guide member 51 is formed by the small diameter portion 35b of the second sleeve 35. That is, the second sleeve 35 has a large diameter portion 35a fixed to the first sleeve 34, and a small diameter portion 35b extending toward the probe 39 side. The small diameter portion 35b serving as the guide member 51 is located in the first circulation portion 41, and is cantilevered with one end supported by the large diameter portion 35a. The small diameter portion 35b serving as the guide member 51 has a gap between its outer surface and the inner surface of the first sleeve 34, and a gap between its other end and the probe 39.

The small diameter portion 35b of the guide member 51 is arranged to face the first supply/discharge section 24 and the second supply/discharge section 25 in the radial direction. The small diameter portion 35b of the guide member 51 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided with a first opening 52 communicating with the first circulation portion 41 at one end in the axial direction, and a second supply/discharge portion 25 at the other end in the axial direction. A second opening 53 communicating with is provided.

Hereinafter, the operation of the transmission device 100 of this embodiment will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transmission device 100 of this embodiment is used, for example, in a situation where a laser light source is placed in a non-radiation area and a laser processing device is placed in a high radiation area. That is, the transmission device 100 connects a laser light source located in a non-radiation region and a laser processing device located in a high radiation region. The laser light from the laser light source is transmitted to the laser processing device through the optical fiber 11 of the transmission device 100, and by remotely controlling the laser processing device, laser cutting operations and the like can be performed. In such a usage mode, by transmitting laser light in a high radiation region, the strands 11a may generate heat on the tip end 11t side of the optical fiber 11, which may approach the heat resistant temperature of the coating portion 11b.

On the other hand, the circulation device 15 according to the present embodiment supplies the cooling medium to the first supply/discharge section 24 of the output side optical connector 14 via the supply path L1. In the output side optical connector 14 , the cooling medium supplied to the first supply/discharge section 24 flows through the first circulation section 41 , and a portion reaches the second circulation section 42 via the first communication section 43 . Further, a part of the cooling medium flowing through the first circulation section 41 reaches the second circulation section 42 via the second communication section 45 . Note that a part of the cooling medium flowing through the first circulation section 41 reaches the second circulation section 42 via the bypass flow path 26.

In this way, the optical fiber 11 is directly cooled by the cooling medium flowing through the first circulation section 41, the first communication section 43, and the second circulation section 42. Furthermore, in addition to directly cooling the optical fiber 11, the third sleeve 36 is also cooled by the cooling medium flowing through the first communicating portion 43. Therefore, the portion of the optical fiber 11 supported by the third sleeve 36 is indirectly cooled by the third sleeve 36.

Furthermore, the second sleeve 35 is cooled by the cooling medium flowing through the first circulation section 41, the second communication section 45, and the second circulation section 42. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the second communication portion 45 is formed to expose the outer circumferential surface 36b of the third sleeve 36, the cooling medium flows through the second communication portion 45, so that the third sleeve 36 cooled down. Therefore, the optical fiber 11 is indirectly cooled via the second sleeve 35 and the third sleeve 36.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first communication section 43 is narrower than the first communication section 41 and the second communication section 42 . On the other hand, some of the cooling medium reaches the second communication section 42 through the two communication sections, the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45, so that the cooling medium is not distributed to these communication sections. while suppressing the increase in internal pressure. Note that by providing the bypass flow path 26, an increase in internal pressure is similarly suppressed.

The cooling medium that has reached the second circulation section 42 flows into the piping 12 from the second supply/discharge section 25 , circulates along the cooling medium flow section 44 of the piping 12 , and flows through the second supply/discharge section 25 of the incident side optical connector 13 . supplied to In the incident-side optical connector 13 , the cooling medium supplied to the second supply/discharge section 25 flows through the second circulation section 42 , and a portion reaches the first circulation section 41 via the first communication section 43 . Further, a part of the cooling medium flowing through the second circulation section 42 reaches the first circulation section 41 via the second communication section 45 . Note that a part of the cooling medium flowing through the first circulation section 41 reaches the second circulation section 42 via the bypass flow path 26. In this way, in the incident-side optical connector 13 as well, the cooling medium flows through the paths of the second circulation section 42, the first communication section 43, the first communication section 41, the second circulation section 42, the second communication section 45, and the second circulation section 42, the second communication section 45, The optical fiber 11 is cooled by flowing through the path of the first circulation section 41 . In addition, some of the cooling medium reaches the second circulation section 42 via the bypass passage 26, thereby suppressing the rise in internal pressure while allowing the cooling medium to flow through the first communication section 43 and the second communication section 45. can.

The cooling medium that has reached the first circulation section 41 flows from the first supply/discharge section 24 into the discharge path L2 and is supplied to the circulation device 15. The circulation device 15 adjusts the temperature of the cooling medium supplied from the discharge path L2, and then circulates the cooling medium back to the supply path L1. In this way, by circulating the cooling medium through one channel, the entire optical fiber 11 is reliably cooled, and a rise in temperature of the strands 11a is suppressed.

As described above, the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 21 that accommodates the optical fiber 11, a fixing member 22 that surrounds and fixes the optical fiber 11 within the housing 21, and a A cooling medium is supplied to one of the two circulation sections 23, and a cooling medium is discharged from the other circulation section 23, with circulation sections 23 provided on both sides of the optical fiber 11 in the axial direction with respect to the fixing member 22. a first communication section 43 that is arranged in a portion of the fixing member 22 facing the optical fiber 11 and communicates the two circulation sections 23, and a first communication section 43 that communicates with the two circulation sections 23; A second communicating portion 45 is provided in a portion different from the portion facing the optical fiber 11 and communicates the two circulation portions 23 .

Therefore, the portion of the optical fiber 11 that is fixed by the fixing member 22 is directly cooled by the cooling medium flowing through the first communication portion 43 . Therefore, cooling efficiency can be improved. In addition, since the cooling medium can be detoured from the first communication section 41 to the second communication section 42 via the second communication section 45 provided separately from the first communication section 43, the first communication section 43 becomes narrow. Even in this case, the cooling medium can be made to flow through the first communication portion 43 while suppressing an increase in the pressure within the circulation portion 23 . Therefore, the cooling medium can flow smoothly into the housing 21. Further, by cooling the fixing member 22 by the second communicating portion 45, the optical fiber 11 is indirectly cooled via the fixing member 22. This provides the optical connector 10 that suppresses heat generation in the optical fiber 11 and improves reliability.

In the optical connector 10 according to this embodiment, the second communication portion 45 is arranged on the outer circumferential surface 35d of the second sleeve 35. Therefore, the second communicating portion 45 can be easily formed.

In the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of second communication portions 45 are provided in the circumferential direction of the fixing member 22. Therefore, the fixing member 22 can be cooled at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, so that cooling efficiency can be improved.

In the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment, the first distribution section 41, which is one of the two distribution sections 23, is provided in a portion including the end of the optical fiber 11, and the second distribution section 41, which is the other distribution section 23, is provided in a portion including the end of the optical fiber 11. 42 has an enlarged diameter portion 42 a at a portion connected to the first communication portion 43 and the second communication portion 45 . Therefore, since the flow resistance of the cooling medium can be reduced in the enlarged diameter portion 42a, the cooling medium can smoothly flow between the first communication section 43, the second communication section 45, and the second circulation section 42. I can do it.

The transmission device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an optical fiber 11, an optical connector that supports a base end 11r and a distal end 11t of the optical fiber 11, and has a communication section 23 inside, and two of the optical fibers 11. Piping 12 surrounds the exposed portions of the two optical connectors and connects the flow parts 23 of the two optical connectors together. Output-side optical connector 14, which includes a circulation device 15 that circulates a cooling medium through a flow path including a circulation section 23 and piping 12, and supports at least the tip of an optical fiber among the two optical connectors, is configured as described above. An optical connector 10 is used. In this transmission device 100, by providing the bypass passage 26, the cooling medium can be made to flow through the communication section 43 while suppressing an increase in pressure within the circulation section 23. Therefore, a necessary flow rate of the cooling medium having sufficient cooling capacity for the optical fiber 11 can be secured in the pipe 12. Further, when the output side optical connector 14 is used in a high radiation area, heat generation of the optical fiber 11 connected to the output side optical connector 14 can be suppressed.

In the transmission device 100 according to the present embodiment, the optical connector 10 described above is used for both of the two optical connectors, and the circulation device 15 connects the first supply/discharge section 24 of one optical connector 10 and the other optical connector. The pipe 12 connects the second supply/discharge section 25 of one optical connector 10 and the first supply/discharge section 24 of the other optical connector 10 . As a result, a flow path consisting of the optical connector 10 on one side, the circulation device 15, the optical connector 10 on the other side, and the piping 12 is formed. Therefore, the entire optical fiber 11 can be reliably cooled.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and changes can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the piping 12 is connected to the housing 21 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. good.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the pressure of the cooling medium in the circulation section 23 of the optical connector 10 may be adjusted by adjusting the inner diameter of the pipe 12. Here, if the inner diameter of the pipe 12 is r, the length of the pipe 12 is L, the flow velocity of the cooling medium is v, the density of the cooling medium is ρ, and the pipe friction coefficient of the pipe 12 is λ, then the flow section 23 of the optical connector 10 Each part is designed so that the withstand pressure P and the target value Q of the flow rate of the cooling medium satisfy the following equations 1 and 2.

P>λLρv ² /2r (Formula 1)
Q=π (r/2) ² v ... (Formula 2)

According to Equations 1 and 2 above, for example, when securing a cooling medium flow rate of 3 L/min, the fiber transmission distance (length L of the piping 12) is 100 m, and the withstand pressure P in the flow section 23 of the optical connector 10 is 1 MPa. Then, the inner diameter of the pipe 12 becomes approximately Φ8 mm.

Further, in the embodiments described above, cooling water is used as the cooling medium, but the cooling medium is not limited to cooling water, and may be air, for example.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the input side optical connector 13 and the output side optical connector 14 have the same configuration, but they may have different configurations.

10 Optical connector 11 Optical fiber 11a Wire 11b Covering portions 11r, 12r, 13r, 14r Base end portions 11t, 12t, 13t, 14t Tip portion 12 Piping 13 Input side optical connector 14 Output side optical connector 15 Circulation device 16 Connection piping 21 Housing 22 Fixed member 23 Flow section 24 First supply/discharge section 25 Second supply/discharge section 26 Bypass channel 26a First connection section 26b Second connection section 31 Main body section 31a Side connection section 32 First connection section 33 Second connection Part 33a Connection hole 34 First sleeve 34a, 35a Large diameter part 34b, 35b Small diameter part 35 Second sleeve 35c Inner peripheral surface 35d, 36b Outer peripheral surface 36 Third sleeve 36a Surface 37 Gap part 38 Fourth sleeve 39 Probe 39a Joint part 41 First circulation section 42 Second circulation section 42a Expanded diameter section 43 First communication section 44 Flow section 45 Second communication section 51 Guide member 52 First opening 53 Second opening 100 Transmission device L1 Supply route L2 Discharge route

Claims (10)

a housing for accommodating an optical fiber;
a fixing member that surrounds and fixes the optical fiber in the housing;
a circulation portion provided in the housing on both sides of the optical fiber in the axial direction with respect to the fixing member;
a supply section that supplies a cooling medium to one of the two circulation sections, and a discharge section that discharges the cooling medium from the other circulation section;
a first communication section that is arranged in a portion of the fixing member facing the optical fiber and communicates the two circulation sections;
an optical connector, comprising: a second communication section that is provided in a portion of the fixing member that is different from a portion facing the optical fiber, and that communicates the two communication portions. The fixing member includes a first sleeve supported on the inner surface of the housing, a second sleeve supported on the inner surface of the first sleeve, and a third sleeve supported on the inner surface of the second sleeve. ,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the second communicating portion is arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the second sleeve. The fixing member includes a first sleeve supported on the inner surface of the housing, a second sleeve supported on the inner surface of the first sleeve, and a third sleeve supported on the inner surface of the second sleeve. ,
The optical connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the second communicating portions are provided in the circumferential direction of the second sleeve. One of the two circulation parts is provided in a portion including an end of the optical fiber,
The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other communication section has an enlarged diameter section at a portion connected to the first communication section and the second communication section. The fixing member has a cylindrical shape, and includes a first sleeve supported on the inner surface of the housing, a second sleeve supported on the inner surface of the first sleeve, and a third sleeve supported on the inner surface of the second sleeve. having a sleeve;
the third sleeve holds the optical fiber;
The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second communicating portion is provided so that an outer circumferential surface of the third sleeve is exposed. The light according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one of the supply part and the discharge part has a side connection part connected to a side part of the housing in the axial direction of the optical fiber. connector. The device further includes a bypass flow path that is provided separately from the first communication portion and the second communication portion and connects one of the circulation portions and the other of the circulation portions via the outside of the housing. The optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6. optical fiber and
an optical connector that supports the proximal end and the distal end of the optical fiber, and each has a circulation portion therein;
Piping that surrounds the exposed portions of the two optical connectors of the optical fibers and connects the circulation parts of the two optical connectors;
a circulation device that connects the circulation parts of the two optical connectors separately from the piping and circulates the cooling medium through a flow path that includes the circulation parts of the two optical connectors and the piping;
Equipped with
A transmission device, wherein the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is used for the optical connector that supports at least the tip end of the optical fiber among the two optical connectors. For both of the two optical connectors, the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is used,
The circulation device connects the discharge section of one of the optical connectors and the supply section of the other optical connector,
The transmission device according to claim 8, wherein the piping connects the supply section of one of the optical connectors and the discharge section of the other optical connector. When the inner diameter of the piping is r, the length of the piping is L, the flow rate of the cooling medium is v, the density of the cooling medium is ρ, and the coefficient of friction of the piping is λ, the pressure inside the flow section is P and The target value Q of the flow rate of the cooling medium is
P>λLρv ² /2r (Formula 1)
Q=π (r/2) ² v ... (Formula 2)
The transmission device according to claim 8 or 9, which is designed to satisfy the following.

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